Posts Tagged ‘2010’

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2010 Honda Accord EX-L V6 Coupe

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

Review and photos
by Peter Bleakney, CanadianDriver.com

In 2009, Honda Canada sold 15,799 Accords, 2,956 of which were the two-door coupe variant. Of those, only 351 were the 271-hp EX-L V6 Coupe fitted with a six-speed manual transmission like this $34,890 tester.

2010 Honda Accord EX-L V6 Coupe

2010 Honda Accord EX-L V6 Coupe

Not surprising, really. And this is no slight against the Honda, which I’ll be honest, took my preconceptions of this coupe and ran them into the guardrail.

It’s because most buyers looking at a two-door sports coupe in this price range will want rear-wheel-drive: Infiniti G37 Coupe, Hyundai Genesis Coupe V6, BMW 128i Coupe, Mustang or Camaro.

But before we dismiss the Accord EX-L V6 Coupe as a tarted-up family snooze-mobile, let’s have a closer look.

First off, the Accord EX-L V6 Coupe is quite a fetching rig, and a relatively uncommon sight on our roads. (more…)

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2010 Subaru Legacy PZEV

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

Review Peter Bleakney
Photos by Peter Bleakney
and Paul Williams, CanadianDriver.com

Subaru’s steady march away from quirks-ville and into the automotive mainstream takes a quantum leap with the all-new 2010 Legacy mid-sized sedan. The last vestiges of Subie weirdness are gone with this fifth-generation remake. No more frameless side windows. The styling is conservatively pleasant, in an inoffensive kind of way. Even the classic (and yes, odd) flat-four growl has been effectively tuned out of the exhaust note.

2010 Subaru Legacy PZEV

2010 Subaru Legacy PZEV

There were three issues keeping the previous Legacy out of mainstream contention – it was too small, too expensive, and with its trademark symmetrical all-wheel-drive, not as fuel efficient as the competition. With the 2010 model, all these peccadilloes have big check marks beside them.

The 2010 Legacy has stretched in all directions and now features a spacious cabin with lots of headroom. The most noticeable improvement is in the back where legroom goes from lousy to limo (up by 10 cm). The 416-litre trunk is one of the largest in the segment, and has a sizable pass-through. (more…)

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2010 Jaguar XKR

Thursday, January 6th, 2011

Review and photos by
Jil McIntosh, CanadianDriver.com

I’m writing this review while sitting on an airplane. Working on the photos, I had several pictures of my 2010 Jaguar XKR Coupe test car up on my laptop screen. A flight attendant, catching a glimpse over my shoulder, stopped dead in his tracks. “Is that your car?” he said. “I need you to take me for a drive in it!” Such is the appeal of Jaguar’s sportiest cat that even a photo will pique interest.

2010 Jaguar XKR

2010 Jaguar XKR

Both the XK coupe and convertible are redesigned for 2010, with new engines, exterior styling, and several new interior features, including standard heated and cooled seats, a 525-watt speaker system and the now-famous rotary gear selector.

The XK line-up, previously equipped with 4.2-litre engines, now uses 5.0-litre V8 powerplants. My tester, the XKR, has its eight pistons force-fed their air by a supercharger, resulting in 510 racehorses, along with 461 lb-ft of torque that peaks at 2,500 rpm, sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. (more…)

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2010 Honda Civic Sedan Sport

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

Review and photos by
Greg Wilson, CanadianDriver.com

Almost five years after its introduction, the eighth generation Honda Civic is still at or near the top of the passenger car sales charts in Canada. This is surprising when you consider that it’s not available as a hatchback – it’s offered only in sedan and coupe bodystyles – whereas its arch-rival, the Mazda3, is offered as a sedan and hatchback. (The Corolla is also offered as a hatchback, but it’s called the Matrix).

2010 Honda Civic Sedan Sport

2010 Honda Civic Sedan Sport

I often wonder how many Civics Honda Canada would have sold had they imported the sharp-looking Civic hatch from Europe.

Even after five years, the Civic’s aerodynamic styling still looks quite stylish when compared to its competitor’s recent redesigns, such as the Mazda3 sedan and Corolla sedans’. (more…)

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2010 Honda Civic Si Coupe

Friday, December 3rd, 2010

Review and photos by
Michael Clark, CanadianDriver.com

Miami, Florida – Five can be a tough age: fun and games percentages have been steadily dropping year over year, replaced by responsibility, light chores, and the coming threat of school days. That’s the upside. Many a five-year old has had their world turned completely upside down by new and cute arrivals.

2010 Honda Civic Si Coupe

2010 Honda Civic Si Coupe

Such is the case with the five-year old Honda Civic. While a formidable sales leader, the Civic has been confronted with plenty of new arrivals that would love to acquire Honda’s sales crown in the Canadian compact segment. Of particular note are the Kia Forte and Hyundai Elantra sedans with their high level of standard equipment. Worse yet for the Civic Si Coupe is the arrival of the Kia Forte Koup SX, with such gotta-have features as Bluetooth and heated seats, plus a fairly potent mill to go with the visual thrill. (more…)

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2010 Mini Cooper S Mayfair

Sunday, September 26th, 2010

Review and photos by
Jil McIntosh, CanadianDriver.com

A half-century ago, a revolutionary little car hit the market. The Mini was small, front-wheel drive, had its wheels pushed to the corners to improve stability and make the most of its interior space, and it was inexpensive. The redesigned version by BMW retained all of that – except for the low price-tag, of course. In honour of the birthday, Mini has released a pair of special-edition packages: the 50 Camden, and my tester, the 50 Mayfair, named for London’s famous upscale neighbourhood.

2010 Mini Cooper S Mayfair

2010 Mini Cooper S Mayfair

Available on both the Mini Cooper, and on my turbocharged Cooper S tester, the Mayfair adds $5,000 to the $29,900 price-tag of my vehicle. That gives you a package of “Toffy Lounge” leather and trim, 17-inch alloy wheels with run-flat performance tires, heated sport seats, auxiliary grille-mounted driving lights (which only come on with the high-beam headlights), sunroof, auto-dimming rearview mirror, rain-sensing wipers, Bluetooth, USB port, and the Mayfair 50 badges, which are really what this vehicle’s all about. (more…)

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2010 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

Review and photos by
Greg Wilson, CanadianDriver.com

For those with a thirst for driving excitement but a limited budget, there are several compact sedans and hatchbacks on the market with tuned suspensions, performance tires, and extra power under the hood, many of them starting under $25,000.

2010 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V

2010 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V

Well-known examples include the Toyota Corolla XRS ($22,550), Mazda3 GT ($22,995) Subaru Impreza 2.5i Sport ($24,695), Honda Civic Si sedan ($26,880) and Volkswagen GTI ($29,675), but one that’s often forgotten is the Nissan Sentra SE-R ($21,798), and SE-R Spec V ($23,198). These zippy Sentras have a bigger, more powerful 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine that replaces the Sentra’s standard 140-hp 2.0-litre powerplant; the SE-R has 177 horsepower and a CVT with paddle shifters, while the SE-R Spec V has 200 hp and a six-speed manual transmission. (more…)

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2010 Ford F-150 Raptor SVT

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

Review and photos by
Russell Purcell, CanadianDriver.com

The Ford F-150 Raptor carries the F-150 designation for marketing purposes, as well as for the fact that it is a half-ton pick-up. However, the similarities pretty well end there as the truck shares very few components with its F-150 stable mates. If you approach this monster from the front you are immediately struck by its width and aggressive stance. In fact, the Raptor is 18 cm (7 in.) wider than a standard full-size pick-up, moving it into a category that requires it to sport marker lights at each corner (and in the grille) which add to the aggressive look. The distinctive grille is a black-out design, dominated by what has to be the largest Ford emblem ever employed on a consumer vehicle.

2010 Ford F-150 Raptor SVT

2010 Ford F-150 Raptor SVT

An aerodynamically optimized front bumper sits close to the body, and features outboard openings to help direct air flow to the engine compartment and front suspension. There are also functional hood and side air-extractor vents to help this monster breathe, a necessity in the rugged environments where the Raptor was designed to both work and play. (more…)

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2010 Land Rover LR2

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

Review and photos by
Jil McIntosh, CanadianDriver.com

The old saying goes that familiarity breeds contempt. That may be so in some circumstances, but in my case, familiarity has bred content. I’d never really been on Land Rover’s radar, and so only viewed these chunky – and to my eye, clunky – vehicles at auto shows, or the few times I saw one on the road. Having spent some seat time in them, including the smallest of the bunch, the 2010 LR2, I’ve come to appreciate the brand, which combines rough-and-ready off-road ability with some seriously luxurious interior touches.

2010 Land Rover LR2

2010 Land Rover LR2

Whether I’d actually buy one might be more up in the air: they also have a well-earned reputation for gremlins, and indeed, my LR2 was the first Land Rover I’d driven where everything worked for the full week – rather ironic, given that it was also my least-expensive tester. Still, if you have faith in the warranty, this is a sweet machine among compact sport utility vehicles. (more…)

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2010 Subaru Impreza 2.5i sedan

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

Review and photos by Haney Louka,
CanadianDriver.com

Subaru’s entry-level model was redesigned for the 2008 model year and soldiers on essentially unchanged. Even so, I was looking forward to taking this one for a week-long spin. The reason for my enthusiasm was that Subaru bravely decided to send through a bare-bones four-door sedan with a manual transmission and exactly zero options. Sending us a base model helps us focus on a particular model’s intrinsic properties without being distracted by more powerful engines or fancy sound systems. And sadly, press cars with manual transmissions are becoming a rare sight in our nation’s press fleets.

2010 Subaru Impreza 2.5i sedan

2010 Subaru Impreza 2.5i sedan

So here it is, the $20,995 Subaru Impreza 2.5i. You could shell out another $1,100 for the four-speed slushbox, but that would be like placing a sushi order with only cooked ingredients: what’s the point?

The Impreza is one of those rare cars that has actually become less expensive over the years: going back into my road test archives, I found that the 2002 Impreza TS started at $21,995. (more…)

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